Inside the school infirmary, a female school doctor in a white lab coat was lounging in a large executive chair, leisurely listening to opera and occasionally singing along, her melodious trills drifting into the air.
"Bang!" The main door was suddenly shoved open, slamming against the wall.
The school doctor jumped, startled. "Who's going to die?"
Then she saw two students walk in. The girl in the lead had a striking red scratch on her right cheek, the beads of blood already dried and congealed. Her fair, delicate chin was also flushed with numerous scratch marks, making her look rather pitiful.
"What happened here?" asked the school doctor with concern as she looked at the two of them, having long forgotten her earlier outburst.
The girl didn't make a sound, but the boy following close behind explained in a slightly chilly tone, "Scratch marks from someone's fingernails. Apply medicine."
"Oh dear, such a heavy scratch? A pretty face like that almost got ruined," the school doctor said, reaching out to examine it.
Jiang Zhi stepped forward and swatted her hand away, his tone even colder than before, carrying a warning edge, "Just get the medicine. Why are you getting hands-on?"
Meanwhile, the girl who hadn't said a word upon entering, looking like a pretty wooden doll, tilted her head away, clearly not wanting the doctor to touch her.
The school doctor laughed in exasperation. "Fine, fine. Today's young couples really love to show off, bringing their affection right into my little corner here."
With that, she couldn't be bothered to argue further, turning to fetch the medicine.
Jiang Zhi paid no attention to her words, pointing the standing girl toward a nearby chair. "Go sit over there."
Chi Wan obediently walked over and sat down.
As soon as the school doctor turned back, she saw the two of them treating her domain as if it were their own home, completely at ease.
She said with displeasure, "This medicine goes directly on the scratches, twice a day. You can't let water touch the wounds until two days after they scab over." With that, she tossed the medicine to the standing boy and walked out of the office without looking back.
Jiang Zhi caught the medicine, carefully read the usage instructions printed on the bottle, and slowly unscrewed the cap. Extending his leg, he dragged a stool over with his foot and sat down.
"If it hurts, just make a sound," he said, looking at the quietly seated girl, his voice unconsciously softening a bit.
A white cotton swab dipped in milky-white ointment carefully applied the medicine to that fair, delicate little face.
The infirmary was quiet, the only sounds the light and silent breathing of the two.
A conversation drifted in from outside: "Oh, is our Dr. Bai Shuo sunbathing?"
"Sunbathe your grandpa! It's the middle of summer and I'm sunbathing—are you trying to say something's wrong with my brain?" The female voice was angry yet coquettish.
Only a hearty laugh rang out, the tone of the conversation laced with familiarity. "Ha, then how could you bear to leave your doghouse?"
"I feel like it, is that a problem?" Bai Shuo tucked her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat with a leisurely posture and asked, "You don't have class right now?"
The man shrugged. "Nope. I'm sick, so the math teacher took my class."
Bai Shuo was immensely amused, clicking her tongue repeatedly. "Tsk tsk tsk, I really envy your illness-prone constitution. Since you're free, wanna accompany me shopping?"
"Heh, accompanying a beauty on a shopping trip is my utmost honor."
The voices outside gradually faded away. Chi Wan listened listlessly until a heavy jab of the cotton swab on her face made her hiss, "Ouch."
"Hoh, you know pain?" Jiang Zhi sneered, tossing away the cotton swab in his hand and grabbing a new one.
Lost in her thoughts all this time, Chi Wan finally brought her gaze into focus to look at the boy sitting opposite her. His face was flawless and smooth, his skin so delicate that not a single blemish could be seen.
Her mind began to wander again. Chi Wan stared at the boy's face, stubbornly trying to find something in it. She looked at it inch by inch, finally spotting a very faint, tiny blue mole on the right side of his high-bridged nose.
Jiang Zhi's heart was a tangled mess at the moment. Being stared at by the girl with such intense and concentrated focus, he truly felt that in her eyes he was merely like an object, entirely lacking the appreciation or infatuation other girls usually showed when looking at him.
He lowered his gaze awkwardly to look at the ointment squeezed into his hand, his voice carrying a hint of cold rigidity: "Hand. Straighten it."
Chi Wan froze for a second, then extended the arm with the scratches.
After quite a while, she heard the girl's soft and delicate voice say, "Jiang Zhi... thank you."
The hand applying the medicine paused for a moment, then carefully resumed smoothing the ointment evenly.
Before Jiang Zhi and Chi Wan even stepped into the head teacher's office, they heard Yan Xu's voice loud and clear through the wall.
"Lu Yulin, you little snitch! Aside from playing the victim and running to tell on people, what else can you do? You just bully Chi Wan because she's new and easy to push around, picking a fight with her every few days!" Yan Xu roared so hard the veins on his neck bulged. He was clearly furious, and as he finished, still unsatisfied, he added another curse, "Crybaby."
The other person was much the same. Lu Yulin's hair was disheveled and her body trembled slightly, angered by the boy.
Though her voice carried a sob, she desperately held it back, making her accusatory tone sound sharp. "Yan Jiuri, who are you calling a snitch? Who's a crybaby? What does this matter have to do with you? Since when is it your turn to play the good guy here?"
Yan Xu spat fiercely in her direction. "How does it not matter? When you bully others, I couldn't care less, but if you dare bully my Zhang family member, I'll fight you to the death."
Seeing his crude manner, Lu Yulin screamed, "Ah—you jerk! Yan Jiuri, you're no man."
"I'm still an innocent maiden, stop spreading rumors about me—"
Inside the office, Li Chunhua looked at the two people hurling insults at each other, clutching his aching head with a sigh, wondering why the other ancestor still hadn't arrived.
Outside the door, Chi Wan looked blankly at the boy behind her and asked, "What Zhang family member?"
The corners of Jiang Zhi's mouth lifted slightly as he replied flatly, "We share the same master, Zhang Lei."
"Oh." So it was that Zhang family member.
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Chi Wan slowly turned her head back. She felt a slight discomfort in her chest, as if it had been soaked in water—sour, swollen, and somewhat distressing.
She raised a hand and knocked on the door. After waiting a second or two, she pushed it open.
"Ah, you guys are finally here." Li Chunhua slid forward as if he had just seen his savior.
Not far away, the two people were still arguing fiercely, neither noticing the people entering the doorway.
Jiang Zhi cast a cold glance at them, then said to Li Chunhua, "Call the principal. You can't handle this."
Li Chunhua clapped his hands in relief and smiled, "Ah, that's what I was thinking too. I was just waiting for you guys to arrive so both sides can explain the whole story from beginning to end. After all, we can't just listen to one side of the story, right?"
Jiang Zhi nodded, his long strides carrying him toward the lounge area's sofa.
Chi Wan stood in place, accepting Li Chunhua's concern.
"Is Student Chi's injury alright?" Li Chunhua asked with some worry, looking at the scratches on the girl's face and hands.
Chi Wan shook her head. "It's fine. I've already applied medicine."
"That's good, that's good. Don't worry, once the teacher goes to invite the principal, we'll definitely get justice for you." In Li Chunhua's eyes, Chi Wan had always been an obedient and well-behaved student who would never stir up trouble. Compared to Lu Yulin, who was still lively enough to bicker with people, Chi Wan looked every bit like a poor little victimized by bullies.
"Thank you, teacher," Chi Wan said respectfully, then stepped aside and walked away.
Jiang Zhi, sitting not far away, wore an expression of mild impatience. He gestured to the standing girl, signaling her to come over and sit.
"Have you two argued enough?" Jiang Zhi asked in a low voice.
The two arguing figures froze and turned their heads. The moment Lu Yulin turned her head, she quickly spun back around, covering her face and sobbing softly.
"If I hear you cry again, I'll throw you off this building."
The intermittent sobs stopped abruptly.